


the lost cause of words

by hotmesslewis



Series: Lewis and Clark - Reincarnation [5]
Category: Historical RPF, Lewis and Clark
Genre: And Some Texting, Consider It "Plot Development" I Guess, Nothing But Conversation, Really It's Not That Interesting, talk talk talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 03:25:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotmesslewis/pseuds/hotmesslewis
Summary: Julia seeks comfort, reassurance, something, from her best friend.  A short, sweet text conversation.





	the lost cause of words

**Author's Note:**

> I mean look at the tags?? It's just a lot of folks talking, that's all. Nothing really happens. Like, I'm even debating whether to post this or not, but, eh, it's part of the story I reckon. Sorry there's just not more ACTION.

“So what do you think?”

Julia Hancock leaned onto the back of Harriet Radford’s chair and rested her chin on Harriet’s shoulder, and Harriet wondered if she realized how flirty her actions were, and if they were intentional or just a sign that she was comfortable with Harriet or just part of her coquettish nature.

She also wondered if Julia was looking down her shirt, or perhaps hoped more than wondered.

“What do I think about . . . ?” Harriet inquired, scrolling up and down the web page rapidly.

Julia covered Harriet’s hand on the mouse to make her stop and clicked on a picture of the young man. “Him!”

Harriet stared at the picture for a moment. It was perhaps the best one, in her opinion: his lips were parted, his mouth opened slightly in a smile, as though someone had captured him in a moment of laughter or speech, and it was a very good smile, if a bit lopsided. But the best part was the eyes. In so many other pictures his eyes looked so sad (or did they just look old?) but this one—this one she liked.

“He’s cute. Well, I don’t know, maybe not cute—he’s more, like, pretty.”

Silence.

Harriet continued, clicking on a different picture of the boy. “I mean, look at his lips in this one. Look at that _shape_. I’m not sure if I’m jealous of them or I want to kiss them.”

Still, Julia did not respond.

Uncertain of what else to do, Harriet continued talking. “Well, I mean, his hair could use some work, I know, like what is up with it, does it even know how to lay fla—”

“Harriet.”

“Yeah?” Harriet turned to look at the girl whose chin was still perched on her shoulder then. _Speaking of lips . . ._ She tried not to stare but Julia’s were just so pink and perfect and really, really close to her own.

But you weren’t supposed to want to kiss your best friend.

“Shut up.”

“Okay.”

“What I want to know is: is he or isn’t he?”

“ . . . gay, you mean?”

“Yes,” Julia replied as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world.

Harriet navigated back to the main page of the boy’s Facebook profile. “So you looked this Meriwether guy up on Facebook and you’ve been stalking through his page and his pictures and everything just so, what, you could figure out if he’s gay or not?”

“No, I already know what I think about him,” Julia explained patiently. “I mean, he was making out with _my boyfriend_ , after all. I wanted your opinion on him. And for the record, I am _not_ Facebook-stalking him.”

“Why do you want my opinion?” Harriet wasn’t entirely sure she wanted an honest answer to this. Because there was always the chance: Julia knew what Harriet was, Julia accepted it, but Julia was in no way interested, and that would be . . . really crushing, if Harriet was honest with herself.

“Well, I mean, I figure you have more experience with guys then I do, so you’d be better at picking out the gay ones.”

“Um,” was all Harriet could manage to respond. _Experience with guys_. Right.

“Okay, well, maybe not _more_ experience with guys but, like, experience with more guys? You know what I mean. I’ve only ever dated Bill.”

“Right. Uh . . .”

Harriet was in no way qualified for this task.

She took a moment to gather herself, pretending to go back through Meriwether Lewis’s pictures for any signs of homosexual inclinations as viewed by a Totally Straight Girl while she planned out her evening in her mind: maybe she’d call her physics lab partner, a sweet, petite little number who looked pretty sexy in her black frame glasses, up for a study session, only instead of studying they’d meet for apple martinis and then make out in the back seat of her car.

“I’d say he’s gay. Or wait—maybe asexual? Like, see, look, even in the pictures with guys he’d not really standing very close to them, like he’s not really all that comfortable around any of them, so maybe he’s just not that into sex?”

Julia scoffed, lady-like. “If you’d seen the way he was all over Bill, you’d know he’s gay.”

Harriet couldn’t help but get a little huffy. “Look, if you’re so sure he’s gay, then why the hell did you even want my opinion on this? Like all I have to do is gossip with you about guys that may or may not want in your boyfriend’s pants.”

Julia finally stopped touching her, then, stepping back as though the verbal assault had been physical. “I just thought . . .”

Harriet turned her head around to glare at her friend. “You thought what?”

“I don’t know. I thought you might have been interested. Guess I was wrong.”

Harriet wanted to say something comforting.

_It’s not that, it’s just . . ._

_Hey, cheer up, Jules, it’s not worth it . . ._

_I love you, and I don’t like the way he’s treating you. You deserve better._

She turned back to the computer, instead, checking her email. There was the rustling of fabric on fabric and a squealing of springs as Julia sprawled across the couch in the room behind her.

“They went out together the other night, you know. To that French place, like they were going out on a date,” Julia said softly.

Harriet turned back to look at her then. She hadn’t known, and Julia looked ready to cry. “Oh, Jules . . .”

“I mean, it’s not a big deal, right? Two friends, going out for dinner together and all. Good for Bill, right? He should have more friends.”

That wasn’t all. Harriet waited patiently.

“It’s just—he never even takes me to restaurants like that.”

Harriet hummed sympathetically.

“And I’m not even sure he was telling me the whole truth about it?” Her voice rose as she got closer to tears. “He had this whole story about how Meriwether’s uncle or something invited him out to dinner and he wasn’t even expecting to see Meriwether at all but I just don’t know, you know, that sounds really far-fetched to me, and then when he came to see me afterward talking about how the dinner got all delayed and went late and everything, he looked really rumpled, like—”

Harriet had moved without realizing it, and found herself on the couch with her arms around her friend, holding her and rocking her slowly, making soft noises to soothe the tears. “This isn’t really about Meriwether Lewis at all, is it, Jules?”

Julia pressed her lips together, fighting to control the crying, and shook her head. “Do you think Bill might be?”

“Gay, you mean?” Julia only nodded in reply, knowing if she tried to answer the tears would start again. “Oh, I don’t know—has he mentioned anything off-hand lately about wanting to screw men?”

Her friend looked deeply horrified and buried her face in a pillow as the tears came upon her once again.

“Hey, no, I’m sorry, Julia, bad time for a joke, I realize that now. I’m really sorry, okay?” Now she was leaning over the back of her prone friend, smoothing her hair. “Listen, I didn’t mean that. I don’t really know if he is or not, okay—I don’t think he’s _gay_ at all, but I don’t know if he’s bisexual or not, but anyway, none of that matters. What matters is the fact that I’ve never seen a guy look at a girl before like he looks at you. It’s ridiculous, like it’s just really obvious that there’s so much love there, so I know that’s true—I know that he loves you. But— hey, Julia, can you look at me?” The girl below her had quieted, and at Harriet’s request she turned to her side, looking up at her with suspicious eyes. “Look, Julia, I don’t know what’s going on with him and this Meriwether guy, and I don’t know what’s going on with him and you. But I do know that it feels like things have changed to you, like you don’t trust him like you used to for some reason. And I know—this isn’t going to work out between you two if you can’t trust him, okay? And if he can’t trust you, but anyway. The point is: I think you need to talk to him about this.” Harriet wrapped her hands around one of Julia’s and held her gaze.

“Just talk to him, okay?”

-

**Bill Clark, 1:14am:** i miss you

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:15am:** I’m sorry, what?

**Bill Clark, 1:15am:** i miss you

**Bill Clark, 1:16am:** god thats weird isnt it?

**Bill Clark, 1:16am:** nvm

**Bill Clark, 1:18 am:** i’ve had a few

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:32am:** Ok

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:34am:** I miss you, too, for what it’s worth.

**Bill Clark, 1:41am:** u dont think it’s wierd?

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:41am:** Nah. Well, maybe, but I’m kind of used to weird, tbh.

**Bill Clark, 1:42am:** but i don’t even rly know u all that well

**Meriwether Lewis, 1:42am (draft):** I think you know me much better than you think you do.

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:43am:** Some people just click, you know? Like they’re supposed to know each other or something.

**Merriweather Lewis, 1: 43am:** You can’t sleep either?

**Bill Clark, 1:43am:** not really :/

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:43am:** Me either.

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:44am:** I think we can be just friends, you know. If you like. Maybe I think I came on too strong at the beginning but it doesn’t have to be all that.

**Bill Clark, 1:47am:** your ok with that?

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:48am:** Yeah, I’m cool with that. Honestly I’d rather be friends with you then not have you in my life at all, Bill Clark.

**Bill Clark, 1:49am:** ok. friends, then?

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:49am:** Friends

**Bill Clark, 1:50am:** guess i should try to sleep now. have to up @ 7.30 for work :(

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:50am:** Yeah, you really should!

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:50am:** Sleep well :)

**Bill Clark, 1:52am:** 1 more thing- how do you spell ur first name?

**Merriweather Lewis, 1:53am:** No A—Meriwether

**Bill Clark, 1:53am:** oh ok thx

**Meriwether Lewis, 1:53am:** You had it wrong in your contacts, didn’t you?

**Bill Clark, 1:54am:** ……… maybe

**Meriwether Lewis, 1:55am:** Goodnight, Bill

**Bill Clark, 1:56am:** gnite meriwether


End file.
